1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tie-down devices and more particularly to a novel tie-down or anchoring device having a car slidably carried on a track including latch means for releasably retaining the car at a critical location on the track.
2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to employ a variety of rings, bars extending across recesses, holes in fixed structures and the like for retaining the free end of a rope, strap, chain or other means. Such a device may take the form of a car sliding on a track and in some instances, a plunger is employed which when aligned with an aperture in the track, permits latching so that the car is retained at that particular place.
Problems and difficulties have been encountered when employing such a car and track arrangement that stem largely from the fact that the plunger is not self-locating and requires visual or physical of the plunger with the selected opening or hole in the track. Also, such a device necessitates that the plunger be held out of contact with the track as the car is moved along to a particular opening or hole into which the plunger is to be released for attachment therewith. This is a disadvantage since the device is under tension as the car is being moved so that the user or operator of the device must concentrate on alignment and must physically place a tension against the plunger so that it is held out of physical contact with the track.
Another problem residing with conventional tie down and anchoring devices resides in the fact that the element to which the strap or rope is to be tied that generally takes the form of a loop is unsupported on the car and has a tendency to flop or fall to the side of the car. Such a position requires the user or operator to physically raise the loop with his hands in order to thread the strap or rope through the opening in the loop for attachment. Such an unsupported loop is a distinct disadvantage in the use of conventional tie down and anchoring means.
Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide a novel car and track arrangement wherein the car is self-locating to a selected position on the track so that its latching mechanism will automatically effect releasable securement. Also, a need has existed to provide a support for the attachment loop on the car which will provide a predetermined purchase for the attaching rope or strap and certainly a support construction which will permit the strap or rope to be secured to the loop without the user or operator having to hold and support the loop itself.